STORYLINE 3/5

 

Galamoth (yes, the same Galamoth from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) has challenged Alucard (AKA Kid Dracula) to a fight just after he wakes up from his deep sleep. Not letting a challenge like this go by, he sets out to take down Galamoth. He grabs his father's cape and rushes off into Castlevania to begin his adventure, to go after Galamoth, and fight off Galamoth's army.

 

 

AUDIO 2.5/5

 

The music, to my knowledge, isn't lifted from anything else. That is, except for the first stage, which was a remix of "Beginning" from CV3 -- and that song ROCKED. The rest of the tunes, however, were created strictly for this game and are cartoonish and playful. Nowhere is there the fearful, scary music that Castlevania is known for. You must remember this is a kiddy game after all. The music didn't fail to fit the game at all, and Konami did a good job with it.

 

The sound quality is good. From what sound effects are present in the game, they are also good. Basically, the sound effects fit very well and Konami even gave Alucard a grunt when he gets hurt -- it isn't the one Simon makes!

 

 

GAMEPLAY 4.5/5

 

The very wacky approach to Kid Dracula that makes it so different from the other Castlevania games is that it doesn't make sense...at all. But, it's actually rather funny at parts, even if what's occurring on screen is not possible. I really liked the gameplay and each stage had me asking, "What the heck is going to happen next?" with a smile on my face. Though the first stage is the only Castlevania part to the game, the rest of the game features an amusement park roller coaster ride -- going through New York City, the city's subway and Egypt -- and Alucard  even appearing on a game show featuring the Statue of Liberty as the host. (I'm not making this up. Isn't it supposed to be set in, what, the 17th century? New York City's around AND there's a subway system. See what I mean?)

 

As for controlling Alucard, it plays a lot like Rock Man! I'm serious. Jump, move, shoot, climb ladders. Heck, you can even charge up Alucard's shots just like Rock Man can! Also, we can't forget the fact that after every boss Alucard defeats, he gains a new weapon, such as becoming a bat or firing out a different type of the Ball of Destruction attack, which you select from the bottom of the screen by pressing Select. There are items that are life-related; the heart in a box gives Alucard a bigger power heart -- kinda like in the Zelda games with the heart containers. Another item is a heart that refills an empty power heart.

 

As for the main bad guys that follow Galamoth...oh man, you can expect to fight a giant cute KKK member, a giant pyramid head, and a giant chicken, plus some other really stupid, yet cute and funny, enemies. The whole game is a joke, but it's a great parody and you'll have a ball with the game as you play it. Not to mention, after each stage, you get to play some really insane mini games, featuring putting swords in a barrel that a skeleton is in, gambling, and getting dancers to show their asses (not kidding), all while trying to get a few extra lives. TRUST ME, you'll have a TON of lives in this game.

 

Overall, the gameplay is great and very fun to go through, seeing all the various screwed up areas and enemies Alucard must go through and fight to stop Galamoth and bring peace to the world, all while having a fun time and trying to be more like Alucard's father. (In this game, Alucard looked up to his father, but by the end of the game, he realized what his father was like and started to go against him.) For the Castlevania series, this game does not fail to deliver great gameplay like the past games and gives you yet another task to save the world, even if you are playing as the bad guy.

 

 

CONTROL 3/5

 

I liked the controls this time around for a Castlevania game. Pressing B makes Alucard toss a fireball straight, B + Up on the control pad makes him shoot upward, A makes him jump, Start is pause, and Select allows you to choose a weapon from those you've acquired! Alucard doesn't move like Simon or Trevor Belmont does, instead moving more like Rock Man, with surprising quickness and a very good jump (sometimes). He's not perfect when he gets hit; he's sent flying about two steps back! I couldn't ask for more here, but it's kind of sad that a parody game of Castlevania gets better control than the real thing. Ah well, at least the future Castlevania games MUCH improved the controls, especially with Richter Belmont.

 

 

FUN FACTOR 4/5

 

The game is definitely fun! There's a lot to keep you playing: improved control from the other Castlevania games, new techniques per stage, weird cut-scenes, and also a Rock Man-like gameplay (climbing ladders, shooting fireballs, charging up fireballs, etc.)! As far as replay value goes, there is none, similar to how the other Castlevania games go, except Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, which had a ton of replay value. But, once you beat this, you'd probably just laugh, turn your Famicom off and walk away.

 

 

FRUSTRATION 2/5

 

Not much to get frustrated over here. Maybe the jumps and timing could take some getting used to, and the charged shots can slow Alucard down (like in the Rock Man games). Also like in Rock Man, the timing of jumps has to be perfect in order to keep Alucard from falling to his death! That's about it.

 

 

OVERALL 3.5/5

 

So, Konami has produced a parody of Castlevania, featuring a childish version of Alucard as the star -- and that's how it shaped up to be. Not too shabby. I love this game despite the fact that all the text is in Japanese and you can't get this at your local flea market, since it wan't made for American release! Regardless, it's Castlevania, except you're Dracula's son trapped in Care Bear land with Rock Man-like gameplay. It's a great game to add to your collection, especially if you're a Castlevania fan -- and even more so if you're a fan of Alucard.

 

 

SCREENSHOTS